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2023 Commencement Speaker

Senator Reverend Warnock is a native of coastal Georgia, growing up in Kayton Homes public housing in Savannah, and was born one of twelve brothers and sisters. His father, a veteran, small businessman and preacher, grew up in Burke and Screven County, GA. Senator Reverend Warnock’s mother grew up in Waycross, GA, where she spent summers picking tobacco and cotton. A graduate of Savannah’s Sol C. Johnson High School, Senator Reverend Warnock’s mother and extended family still live in the Savannah area. Senator Reverend Warnock is a proud graduate of Atlanta’s Morehouse College and Union Theological Seminary, where he earned his PhD. 
 
A champion for expanding educational access and opportunities, Senator Warnock has worked tirelessly to ensure students in Georgia and around the country have access to a higher education that can transform lives. In addition to advocating for efforts to increase college affordability, Senator Warnock has been a vocal advocate for student loan debt cancellation, and pushed the White House in the summer of 2022 to enact a plan to help provide meaningful relief to millions of students. Senator Warnock was also instrumental in the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, reaching across the aisle to secure STEM education funding in the legislation for HBCUs and other higher education institutions across the nation that will boost American innovation and research   Additionally, as the Senate’s only current HBCU graduate, Senator Reverend Warnock has co-led efforts in the Senate to strengthen funding for the nation’s HBCUs and 1890 Land-Grant colleges and universities. As a voice for Georgia in the United States Senate, Senator Reverend Warnock is committed to highlighting the moral urgency for making change in Washington, including continuing to fight for increased access to quality education for students across Georgia and the nation.